'Is it fair for Ryanair to pay compensation?' poll discussion

I was left stranded in Spain by Ryanair a few years ago when, after several hours in the airport being told that the flight was only delayed, my flight home was cancelled due to a technical problem with the plane.

Ryanair offered to give us seats on later flights, but it soon became apparent that it was likely to be at least 5 or 6 days before I could get one. As I was staying with relatives, accommodation wasn't really a problem but I needed to return to the UK for work so I booked a flight the following day with a different airline (at a considerably higher cost than Ryanair!) and, in due course, Ryanair refunded the cost of my unused flight.

Given the tight margins that low-cost airlines like Ryanair operate, I suppose that this is all we should realistically expect - though I do think they should include contingency plans for replacing a faulty aircraft if it becomes unusable. When problems arise, as they did for me and then for thousands of people this week, travel insurance should cover the additional costs. That's precisely why we buy it! However, when we find we actually need it, It turns out to be no use whatsoever.

I only hope that insurance companies take the medical emergency portions of their policies more seriously (and that I never have to find out), because the "cancellation or curtailment" section isn't worth the paper it's printed on! :mad:

As some people may know, from my previous posts... I love Ryanair!

I don't think its fair that they have to pay in this instance, it was outwith their control. I think the company should be liable if they cancel flights because of issues they are having (maintenance etc).

I think a fairer way of dealing with this in the future is charge everyone on every flight a sum such as 25p which would be kept by the EU for these sort of compensation claims. It doesn't seem a lot but with 24,000 flights a day with 150 passengers average its £90,000 a day which will mount up and would be available should something like this happen in the future?

.....
I am interested in the logic of the 42% who believe that Ryanair are right to try and shirk their responsibility to passengers based on ticket price.

Do those 42% who believe that ticket price at the lower end should dictate the manner in which an airline treats their passengers when the !!!!!! hits the fan also feel that the ticket price paid at the higher end should dictate the manner in which an airline treats their passengers when the !!!!!! hits the fan?

For example lets take your full fare airlines and and a trip from the UK to say Asia, how should each passenger be treated if stranded?

Passenger A
£600 Non Flexible Non Refundable Economy Ticket.
Passenger B
£1400 Fully Flexible And Refundable Economy Ticket.
Passenger C
£3000 Business Class Ticket.
Passenger D
£5500 First Class Ticket

Do we stick passenger A in a 2 star twin bedded hotel room with meal vouchers for a nearby greasy spoon and have them share with a fellow passenger and put passenger D in a suite in a 5 star Hotel complete with the services of a butler, a chaffeur, a dresser, a selection of the finest sex workers the city has to offer and unlimited access to food and beverages?

Needless to say I accept fully that all airlines will look after certain passengers better than they will others when it comes to getting them home, but how exactly do you calculate the level of duty of care based on ticket price?

mogadon wrote: »

Passenger D will get better treatment and better service than Passenger A before, during and after the flight. Nobody queries that.

Nobody queries it because passengers A, B and C know and accept that it is what passenger D has paid for.

mogadon wrote: »

Why shouldn't it extend to what happens when flights are grounded?

I am not saying that it should or should not, I am simply asking if the 42% who believe that Ryanair are right also feel duty of care should be reflected at the other end of the monetary scale?